By PEACE IJIYERA
LIBRARIES are usually quiet.
There was nothing quiet about a $120,000 investment to upgrade the Traralgon library last week however.
Member for Eastern Victoria, Harriet Shing, joined Latrobe City Chief Executive, Steve Piasente, Mayor Sharon Gibson, councillors and library staff to announce funding that will see two new meeting rooms, study pods, a revamped service desk and general furniture upgrades added to the facility.
The state government has provided $80,000 towards the refurbishments, with Latrobe City Council adding $40,000.
Ms Shing shared her personal experiences with libraries, saying libraries and librarians were instrumental in who she is today.
“My first ever speech in the Parliament, I thanked my librarians who helped shape me in so many of the best possible ways. Not just in the billion universes that I got to discover when I was at the library, but also as I grew … libraries really do change lives,” she said.
“It’s so important to be able to invest in our libraries, and libraries have come such a long way in what they do and the services that they provide, and they are about more than quiet spaces to read … but it’s also about how people work and how they learn, how they study, how they find a space to go when perhaps that might not be available to them in everyday life.”
Ms Shing highlighted the multipurpose use of libraries, being places to read, work, learn and grow for everyone.
She was recently in Warragul to celebrate the commencement of works for the long-awaited Warragul library and learning centre. The $30 million facility is due to operate by early 2028.
From reading council agendas and documents to reading in her own leisure time, Mayor Gibson also shared her love for reading and her excitement for the upgrades.
“It’s improving our library … it’s making it so it’s better for all of us,” she said.
Works are expected to begin towards the end of the year to early next year.
